Social media expert

These days, social media is an integral part of many businesses marketing mix. Not only can it be used to reach existing and potential customers, it's also an essential part of building credibility and establishing communication with your audience. Choosing the right combination of platforms can be challenging, but if you focus on your business purpose and look for ways to further that purpose through social media, it can be a highly cost-effective marketing tool.

What type of social media is right for me?

When it comes to social media platforms, businesses are really spoiled for choice. Of course, there are the household names like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube, but on top of that there are many useful tools available depending what type of business you run, including Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Flickr and Reddit. It's also likely that there are niche social media sites available which are specifically designed for businesses like yours!

When choosing your social media platforms and how to use them, it's important to look at what your business offers. If your business is highly visual and can easily offer appealing images then platforms like Instagram, Flickr and Pinterest are a fantastic way to garner attention. Whether you are making delicious food, taking beautiful photos, or creating artwork, these websites offer an opportunity to display images to a huge audience and build a following.

Alternatively, if your business services a niche community, like a specialised field or a particular hobby, websites like Reddit, Google+ and Tumblr can offer an opportunity to connect with your audience and be part of their conversation. By sharing worthwhile content on these websites, rather than just bombarding them with ads, you can become a valuable part of their community and through that you are likely to gain customers and clients.

If you just want to reach the widest audience possible, you can't go past Twitter and Facebook. Combined these websites have over 2 billion monthly active users. These sites have tools available for businesses that help you grow your presence and target the audience you want most, and if you combine them with interesting content you are sure to make a splash.

Finally, the work-focused platforms LinkedIn and this website, SavvySME, are a fantastic networking tools for any business – especially if you work in the B2B space. LinkedIn focuses on connecting professionals based on their mutual contacts and their skill-sets, whereas SavvySME focuses on educating business owners and connecting them with valuable partners and service providers. As a business owner, both can be incredibly versatile and useful tools in running and growing your business.

Things to keep in mind when using social media:

Not all engagement is positive. If you get a complaint or a negative comment, it is not advisable to simply remove it. Instead, try to address the issue and bring the commenter back on side.

Not all content is good content. You'll find many sites telling you to post every single day to build a following, and if you have good content this is a great idea. But if you're posting for the sake of it and what you post is not relevant or valuable to your audience, you may find yourself unfollowed or unliked very quickly.

Be yourself. On most social media, people want to interact with another human being. While of course you should be professional, there is no reason you can't be friendly and personable too.

Be consistent. Don't be one of the businesses who posts a flurry of content multiple times a day for three weeks and then disappears for two months. Work out a posting schedule which you can keep up with, and which allows you to create valuable content, and stick to that schedule.

Make connections. The old adage 'build it and they will come' has unfortunately gone the way of the dodo. If you just expect others to come to you and you don't make an effort to reach out to other businesses and to your audience, it's unlikely you'll gain much traction. So get out there and start connecting with your community!